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Clane Community Council will hold its Annual General Meeting at 8pm on 28th January 2013 in the Abbey, Clane. The meeting will include a motion to adopt an updated constitution. All are very welcome. Continue reading →

Over the last few years volunteers on Clane Community Council and elsewhere have been adding details of Clane onto OpenStreetMap, a free map of the world on the internet that everyone can contribute to, and everyone can use.

Clane is now quite detailed on the map, and the Community Council thinks it could soon be reproduced on posters or even in booklets. Residents, visitors, tourists, schools, students, businesses and even emergency services could benefit from such a map.

Before we print it, however, we would like to give everyone – residents, local organisations, business people any other interested parties – a chance to check it both for accuracy and completeness. Perhaps a house number is wrong, or an estate spelling is incorrect, or a business or amenity is missing.

So, we would be grateful if you would take a couple of minutes to quickly check the map and see if the amenities, businesses, and residential areas that matter to you are included, and included correctly. If you notice something that could be added or improved, you are welcome to email your suggestion to ClaneCommunityCouncil@gmail.com and we will try to take your suggestion onboard.

Please note that many dozens of websites and specialist maps on the internet are based on the data in OpenStreetMap, and downloads for mobile phones and car navigation systems are also available. Users of all of these websites and maps will also benefit from a more accurate Clane on OpenStreetMap.

So – please get exploring the map on www.OpenStreetMap.org, or zoom in the map below, and help us create an even better map for the whole community.

Please note that we cannot control exactly what details (such as business names) are drawn on any given map. This is decided automatically. We can however make sure that the details are stored in the underlying data, so that even details that are not drawn on a given map do appear in appropriate search results.

Sunday the 9th of December is the date for the Clane Project Centre Christmas Festival & Market. An indoor market with plenty to see and do, there will be stalls by local business, designers, artists and craftspeople and special entertainment for children.

From Christmas Carols to Bouncy Castles, and face painting to a relaxing cuppa, there will be something for everybody – indeed rumour has it a particular VIP is making special plans to attend.

Doors open in the Westgrove Hotel at 1.30pm on Sunday December 9th and the event runs to 5.30pm. Entry €5 per family. Proceeds go to the Mens Shed.

For more information on the event, or indeed to arrange a stand at the fair, contact Clane Project Centre at 045 861500.

October 30th was the annual Awards Night for Clane Tidy Towns, with the eagerly awaited results announced for the 2012 Best Kept Estates and Best Presented Premises competitions.

With a record 21 local estates entering, prizes were awarded for Small, Medium and Large estate categories. Generously sponsored by Clane Project Centre, and supported on the night by local businesses Manzors, Doolans and P J Wallaces, the well deserving winners of Best Kept Estates were:

Small Estates:

1st Prize College Grove,

2nd Prize Mainham Wood.

Medium Estates:

1st Prize Park View,

2nd Prize Alexandra Park.

Large Estates:

1st Prize Abbey Park,

2nd Prize Central Park and Churchfield,

3rd Prize jointly awarded to Loughbollard and Alexandra Walk.

All estates that entered received a voucher to go some way towards recognizing the very valuable contribution they all make towards making Clane, our home, look so well.

Launched just a few years ago, the winner of the Best Presented Premises 2012 was also announced. This year the accolade went to Marron’s Pharmacy, and Lord Mayor of Clane Dessie Marron was delighted to receive the award.

The night was also the occasion when the identity of Clane Person of the Year, 2012, was revealed. This year Clane Community Council decided to award it not to an individual, but to an organization they felt embodies so much of what is good about Clane, and which truly demonstrates the deeper meaning of the word Community. Clane Person of the Year was awarded to the Clane Conference of Saint Vincent de Paul, and their President Austin Daly was honored to accept it on behalf of the 20 or so volunteers that work so hard for this tremendous organization, now supporting over 110 families in the immediate area. Special mention was also made of Moira Fogarty who could not be there on the night, but who has played such a key role in the organization since it’s inception over 28 years ago. Our sincere congratulations and gratitude to these very worthy winners.

Clane Community Council was recently delighted to receive an invitation to twin Clane with Moutiers sous Chantemerle, a village in the mid-west of France.

Twinning is a wonderful opportunity for communities to develop ties with new and interesting people and places. An opportunity to share culture, history, sport, music, stories, cuisine, languages and ways of life.

Moutiers sous Chantemerle have introduced themselves through this village booklet, and you may find something in there that triggers some thoughts on how a possible twinning might be developed between our two communities. The community council would be delighted to hear your ideas and suggestions. Please contact anyone on the council in person, or send an email to ClaneCommunityCouncil@gmail.com.

The National Tidy Towns Competition results are out and all our businesses and organisations that are “Committed to Clane-Up”, all our residents that have maintained their ‘patch’, all our volunteers that weeded the main street, picked-up the litter, planted hedges and built nest-boxes can take a bow – Clane received a wonderful 274 points, an increase of 5 on last year.

This was a particularly uncertain year for Clane’s Tidy Towns Committee: due to recent growth in population we were moved up a category and in County Kildare are now in the same band as Kilcock, Athy and Kildare. However, joining this new category has encouraged the hard-working Tidy Towns team to think bigger, and we hope you’ll agree that the results can be seen in projects like the quickly maturing hedge on the approach road from Naas, the beautiful flower tubs on main street, the wonderfully maintained Garden of Remembrance (now carefully tended to by our Tús Scheme workers), and the nest and bat boxes that have gone up in and around the town.

The full adjudicator’s report for Clane can be downloaded from the Tidy Towns website. Why not take a look and see what caught the adjudicators eye – both good and bad. Perhaps you can think of new ways to help progress Clane even further in the competition – the committee would love to hear your ideas.

A big thank you again to everybody who contributed to Clane Tidy Towns 2012 – well done indeed.

Kildare Local Employment Service Network are organising a coffee morning in the Parish Centre on Wednesday 12th September from 10am to 1pm. Drop in to find out about the 10 week Career Skills Programme they are offering. For details see the Kildare LESN Coffee Morning Flyer.

Do you have old photographs of Clane that you think might be of interest? How about having some of them published through Clane Community Council Heritage Group?

All you need to do is send a copy with some key information to us and we will do the rest. If you supply an original we will scan it and return the original to you. Then sit back and see your photograph appear in a locally produced publication.

Any photograph connected with people from Clane or the Clane area itself can be of interest.

You can email photos to us at claneheritage@gmail.com. Alternatively, please drop your photos along with details to any of the following:

Marie’s – Niamh Ryan

Given Opticians – Natasha Given

John Daly 086 2583635 CCC Heritage Group

Des Drumm 086 2241761 CCC Heritage Group

Pat Given 086 2432359 CCC Heritage Group

Please remember to include your contact details so your originals can be returned to you safely.

The week starting August 18th is National Heritage Week and this year we are delighted to announce it can be celebrated in Clane.

On Sunday 19th Clane Community Council has arranged a Wild About Clane Nature Walk by the Liffey, with experts from Birdwatch Ireland and Kildare Bat Group. The walk starts at 8pm in the Abbbeylands Shopping Centre Car Park.

Clane Community Council is delighted to announce preparations are well underway
for our annual Golf Classic to be held on Friday August 17th in Knockanally Golf Club. Teams of 3 will cost €150 and Timesheets are available in Des Marron’s Pharmacy on Main Street. There is an opportunity for local businesses to sponser holes for €100. Please contact Des Drumm or anyone on the Committee to find out more. Email enquiries can be sent to ClaneCommunityCouncil@gmail.com.

In early 2012 Clane Tidy Towns, in association with the Kildare Branch of Birdwatch Ireland, launched our Nest Box Scheme.

A selection of the nest boxes donated to Clane Nest Box Scheme

A survey identified several species that could be reasonably expected to be attracted to nest boxes in Clane, appropriate sites were identified around the town, and suggested nest box designs were drawn up.

People were invited to create and donate nest boxes, and a wonderful total of 18 boxes (including 4 from the local Men’s Shed) were assembled, gratefully received, painted up and carefully installed.

Over the course of the breeding season these boxes were monitored under license from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and now that the season is over (at least for these nest boxes) we are delighted to share our results.

"With beautiful views over the Liffey..."

Despite the inclement weather which drastically affected the population of caterpillars on which most nestlings are fed, we are delighted to report that nests were constructed in 9 of the boxes, and young were successfully raised in 7 of these nests. Eggs were not laid in one of the nests, and in another the nest was abandoned for some reason before the eggs hatched. Of the 18 nest boxes originally installed a total of 37 young were successfully reared – a wonderful result for the first year of the scheme. All the nests were occupied by Blue Tit, one of our targeted species. Details of the nesting results were contributed to the BTO’s Nest Record Scheme to assist in long term research.

Of the 18 nest boxes installed we actually went ahead and installed a camera in one of them, and connected it up to a recorder. By shear luck, a pair of Blue Tits started to construct their nest in the box the day after the camera went in!! The complete nest was not visible to the camera but at least 9 eggs were seen to be laid and at least 8 young were counted leaving the nest a few short weeks later. The transformation from empty wooden box to chaotic home full of at least 10 birds was wonderful to witness, and we are delighted now to share some of the highlights below having uploaded them to YouTube. A big thank you to the staff and members of the John Sullivan Resource Centre who kept a close eye on the birds. They christened the mum Annabelle, and the dad was named Apollo. We hope you enjoy the clips below.

A big thank you to everyone who supported the Nest Box Scheme in 2012 – the results were very encouraging. Here’s wishing the 37 young that were raised all the best in and around Clane in the coming weeks and months.

North Star Swimming Club was set up inSt. Raphael’s Pool, Celbridge, in 1992 to provide swimming lessons for people with disabilities living in North Kildare. This was a subsidiary of a similar swimming club in South Kildare, which has since dispersed. The Club originally only catered for people (children and adults) who had Spina Bifida or Cerebal Palsy. Due to increasing demand the club now endeavours to provide lessons and an introduction to swimming to people who have a disability. The members travel from Dublin, Meath and Kildare.

Currently there are 25 members, ranging in age from 6 to 50+. There is also a long waiting list.

Initially the club ran one session. However due to increased demand, a second session was introduced in 2008.

The first session generally provides one to one support in the pool, ensuring members feel safe and comfortable in the water. The aim is to help each member to reach their full potential and above all to have fun.

The second session is for more independent swimmers. The aim of this session is to develop the members stroke/water skills, to increase their stamina and to continue to grow in confidence in the water.

The North Star Swimming Club is unique in that it provides for the individual needs of each member.

The Club is run by parents of swimmers and volunteers. Money to fund the club mainly comes from fundraising, donations and a small annual membership fee. The membership fee was introduced recently due to a reduction in fundraiser income and donations/ grants and increased costs.

The Club is also an extended support network for parents/ guardians/ family of members. Parents are not required to get into the pool. This provides time for them to chat and to share experiences etc.

There is an important social aspect involved in the club for all who are associated. There is an annual trip to the National Aquatic Centre in Blanchardstown. The end of year dinner before the summer break is a favourite event (where acknowledgements of the hard work throughout the year are recognised). And not to forget the Christmas Party where we are joined by our ex-sister club. These events are vitally important for the Club as it allows members, volunteers and families to socialise.

It is important to note that all the helpers give of their time on a voluntary basis. This requires a commitment of at least two hours each Sunday afternoon during the school terms. In addition some help to organise and assist with fundraisers, the annual social events and try to raise the profile of the Club is given. These volunteers are vital to the club’s existence.

To celebrate our 20th anniversary the Club is holding a celebratory get-together for members, past and present. The Club would be happy to hear from former members and helpers who would like to join the celebrations. The party will take place in St Mary’s GAA Club Leixlip on the 29th September 2012 from 4pm. Please contact Valerie @ northstarswimmingclub@gmail.com before 1st September 2012 to confirm bookings.

Finally, the Club would like to thank all those who have supported it over the past twenty years, both those who gave of the time and those who assisted financially. It is only through their charitable assistance that North Star Swimming Club has managed to maintain its valuable service to the community.

A big crowd gathered in the Abbey on the evening of June 6th for a special occassion: the prize-giving ceremony for the Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games 2012. Dozens of young men and women were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals by the Community Games organising committee and there were smiles all around.

A packed house in the Abbey

In a few short weeks we are going to be cheering on men and women wearing the Irish colours on an international stage. Perhaps in a few short years we will be cheering on some of the wonderful young athletes photographed below.

Well done to everyone who participated. A special thanks to all the Mums and Dads and Guardians that supported their children in the games, and to the hard-working Community Games sub-committee that organised and ran the event.

Best of luck to those that will represent Clane and Rathcoffey in the Kildare county finals.

… you may be in for a big surprise! Clane Tidy Towns volunteers certainly got a big surprise when clearing out rubbish from a local stream over the weekend. They managed to capture on video not just some fine Brown Trout, but also a White-Clawed Freshwater Crayfish that was struggling to hold onto their lunch – a Brook Lamprey. Both of these species are protected, so an important sighting for Clane.

There was a big turnout in the grounds of Scoil Mhuire Clane on Tuesday May 29th for the Track and Field events of Clane and Rathcoffey’s Community Games 2012. This year the competition was blessed with perfect weather, and the hardworking organisers managed to get through all of the events in the one evening with some daylight to spare.

A large crowd gathered for Community Games 2012

It was wonderful to see so many young athletes enjoying the fresh air and doing so well: a big congratulations to all those who participated in the races. A special thanks too to the Mums, Dads and Guardians that supported their children, Scoil Mhuire for making their grounds available, and all the volunteers on the Community Games sub-committee that helped make the day run so smoothly.

Some of the organising committee and helpers on the day

Prizes for the various races will be presented in the Abbey on Tuesday the 5th of June at 7pm. All are welcome to this celebration – we hope to see you there.

Clane Community Council is delighted to have received a valuable donation from Intel Ireland as part of their matching grant scheme for approved charities. In a celebration on the Intel campus on May 29th our Chairman John Kennedy, Assistant Secretary Des Drumm and Council Member Peter Kirwan were presented with the cheque by Minister Phil Hogan and General Manager of Intel Ireland, Eamonn Sinnott.

Clane Community Council being presented with our Intel matching grant by Minister Phil Hogan and General Manager of Intel Ireland Eamonn Sinnott

Intel’s donation was based on the total amount of hours that Intel employees have volunteered towards Clane Community Council activities in 2011. John Kennedy, Chairman of Clane Community Council and himself an Intel employee was “doubly thrilled to see not only Intel employees donating their time to important community initiatives such as Community Games, Tidy Towns, and our heritage and environmental projects, but the Intel company itself reinforcing these employee efforts with valuable matching grants.”

A sincere thank you to Intel and Intel volunteers for their generous support.

Clane GAA have organised a scrap metal collection from May 28th to June 2nd to raise funds for their under age teams. Please drop off any scrap metal to O’Connell’s Yard, Millicent Road, Clane this week. For all the details including a list of the types of items accepted please see the Scrap Week Fundraiser Details. Why not take a quick look in the back garden, attic or shed and see if you can de-clutter and support our under age GAA teams at the same time?

Some Community Games match results have come in recently…well done to all the players representing Clane and Rathcoffey, and thank you to all those that are facilitating and supporting these games in any way:

Clane Tidy Towns are delighted to announce the launch of their new “Committed to Clane-Up” initiative. Businesses and organisations that commit to cleaning up around their premises are provided with a “Committed to Clane-Up” sticker to display in their shop window. Clane Tidy Towns are delighted with the enthusiasm local businesses have already shown signing up to the scheme and salute them for playing their part in making Clane an even better place for locals and visitors alike.

If your business or organisation would like to join the scheme please send an email to ClaneTidyTowns@gmail.com or drop down to the village green in front of the Abbey on Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm where the volunteers gather for the regular weekly cleanups.